Marketing tends to be seen as a 'dirty' word in a professional context, but it is what we all do 24 hours of every day. We give out messages which are interpreted (or misinterpreted!) by others, from which they form opinions about us. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we 'market' ourselves to our workmates, our families and our clients - even to the pet dog!
It can help to classify types of marketing into active and passive, and hardware and software, but these types are not mutually exclusive. Most marketing messages fall into more than one class.
The marketing 'hardware' of your practice is what facilities the client sees - the buildings and their surroundings, the decoration, the signage. The list is almost endless, but it can be addressed and 'measured'. We are all conscious of the physical messages that other businesses give out to us and it is not difficult to to take a bird's eye view of our own hardware and address any deficiencies. However, it is worth remembering that as clinicians we tend to be very proud of our expensive technology; our clients are far more likely to take notice of how clean our windows are.
Marketing 'software' is how you and your staff deal with clients and potential clients and their perception of the service you give. Their perception of the service received may not be the same as your perception of the service you offer. You need not be obsequious and fawning. A polite, friendly and business-like manner is all that is required, but it has to be genuinely felt, otherwise body language and voice will betray you!
Passive Marketing takes place by default and covers both hardware and software - it's the way you answer the 'phone, the colour of your front door, the layout of your car park, the car you drive, the shape of your face and the colour of your hair. People form impressions of you and your business from multiple messages, including how you and your staff are seen both on and off duty, and as a result come to a conclusion.
Unless you are a pathological control freak, you have to accept that some of these messages are outside of your control, but many of them are not. It is worth giving some consideration to what messages your business in its widest sense gives out to the general public, which includes your clients and potential clients.
Active Marketing is what you consciously do to improve your business profile. Once again it can include hardware and software. It will include, but is certainly not limited to, advertising and direct marketing.
Active marketing tends to have a specific budget allocated to it and many non-veterinary businesses spend between 2 and 5% of their turnover on marketing. If this sounds a large amount, remember that you are already spending substantial sums on stationery, printing and postage, a significant proportion of which has a marketing message. You are also likely to be receiving substantial marketing support from your drug suppliers which is a hidden cost in your drug bill.
You may, therefore, not have to dig too deeply into the coffers to improve your practice image, but the message does need co-ordinating to be most effective. Time spent thinking about the impression you make on existing and potential clients and integrating the message into your signage, uniforms and literature is an excellent investment.
